Edwin Encarnacion thought he had a home run.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton had other ideas, robbing the Chicago White Sox designated hitter with a leaping catch at the wall in the sixth inning Tuesday.
Buxton also made an impact offensively, driving in the go-ahead run with a two-out single off Evan Marshall in the seventh as the Twins beat the Sox 3-2 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
“We had a chance,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said, “just fell short.”
The series continued to live up to the hype after the Sox (22-14) took Round 1 on Monday by scoring three runs in the ninth.
Tuesday, the Twins won a tight, tense game.
“Playoff atmosphere,” Sox starter Dallas Keuchel said, “and that’s what you ask for.”
Keuchel was limited to five innings as he battled stomach issues.
“Just didn’t feel right,” he said. “Woke up not getting a lot of sleep. But I don’t make a lot of excuses, and I tried to power through as much as I could. Five was all I had. I feel bad for the rest of the bullpen just because of the lack of innings that (Lucas) Giolito had (Monday) night as well.
“You never want to put the bullpen in a position like that. It was a mutual decision to come out (after) the fifth, but I’m glad I got through five.”
Keuchel allowed one unearned run on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
“By the third inning we were already having conversations about where he was at,” Renteria said. “He was going to try to give us as much as he could and he was gassed.
“He gave us what he could in that situation. He did everything he could to try to keep himself in there. He did the best he could and he gave us a chance.”
Keuchel left with the Sox ahead 2-1. The Twins tied it in the sixth and pulled ahead in the seventh.
Nelson Cruz began the seventh with a double to right off Sox reliever Jimmy Cordero. Marshall entered, and after walking Marwin Gonzalez, he got Eddie Rosario and Ehire Adrianza to fly out to center.
Buxton, who had missed the previous 11 games with left shoulder inflammation, followed with his RBI single to left.
The Sox fell back into a tie for first in the American League Central with the Cleveland Indians, who beat the Kansas City Royals 10-1. The Twins are 11/2 games back.
The Sox grabbed a first-inning lead when Eloy Jimenez knocked in two with a two-out double to left. They ended up being the only runs of the night for the Sox.
Twins starter Michael Pineda, back after serving a 60-game suspension for a violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
“We had a couple of chances after that first inning, but he settled down,” Renteria said. “Kept his slider down and away. His fastball had pretty good life.
“He’s a big man with good angle; the ball was getting on top of guys. He was able to minimize the damage and we weren’t able to really settle in on anything.”
Shortstop Tim Anderson had three hits, but the Sox were held to two runs or fewer for just the second time in their last 16 games.
Despite the setback, Keuchel likes how the team is handling the playoff-like atmosphere.
“Outside of the first five, seven games, we’ve (risen) to the occasion numerous times,” Keuchel said. “Honestly, I’m very surprised at how well we’ve handled the pressure, just being such a young team without a ton of success in terms of the win column. But as much as I’m surprised about that aspect, I’m honestly not just because of how good our players are.
“So we’re hanging in there, and that’s all we can ask. It’s going to come down to the wire, and I think we’re ready for it. It’s going to build character for our team, and hopefully we see the talent shine through.”